Portable electronic devices, such as palm top computers, hand held computers and personal digital assistants (PDA) are becoming increasingly popular. A typical PDA is a multi-function device including a pressure sensitive LCD display for input and output and a memory. PDA's may employ a text based input interface to allow for fast and easy input. An input device, such as a stylus, is used to input information to and retrieve information from the PDA. The several applications and corresponding functionality provided by the PDA, and the data maintained therein, are stored in the memory. The applications are identified by and presented to the user on the corresponding display as icons.
A drawback associated with current PDA's is that due to the relatively small size of the display, the icons that identify and represent the applications and data are also small in size. Oftentimes, when the user wants to select a particular application, they touch the wrong icon; thereby, activating the wrong or undesired application. Thus, in order to select the desired application or data, the user has to wait until the incorrectly activated application loads and starts before shutting the application down and again trying to select the originally desired application. This is both inefficient and frustrating to the user.
Such user frustration is enhanced, when an input device is not available, for example, when the input device is either lost, not applicable or otherwise improperly calibrated to work with the particular device. In such a situation, the user is left with trying to select and activate a relatively small icon with their fingertip, which is generally larger than the icon. Thus, an attempt to select a single application often results in the user's fingertip touching more than one icon, causing neither corresponding application to be selected.